Jim Mather, who has served as chief executive officer of three organisations over the last 16 years, has been appointed the new chairman of the Lakes DHB.

He replaces Deryck Shaw, who has stepped down after three terms.

A qualified accountant by profession, he has led Māori Television and Te Wananga o Aotearoa.

Jim's current governance roles include Chair of RNZ, Director of Auckland Transport, Member of MBIE Risk and Advisory Committee, and Director of Ngati Awa Group Holdings Limited. Dr Mather has held a variety of private sector management roles and holds a PHD in Māori economic development.

Elected Board member Dr Johan Morreau has been appointed Deputy Chair of the Board.

The three new Ministerial appointees are Sir Michael Cullen, who was former Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Tertiary Education and Attorney-General in the Helen Clark Labour Government; Lana Ngawhika of Te Arawa/Tuhoe, who served the former Te Arawa Maori Trust Board on the treaty settlement that saw the return of 14 Rotorua lakes to Te Arawa ownership, and is a business development manager with Fonterra; and Rees Tapsell of Ngati Whakaue - Te Arawa waka).

A psychiatrist, Rees sub-specialised in forensic psychiatry, working at the Mason clinic in Auckland as a consultant psychiatrist for ten years where he worked on, and wrote about, models of forensic mental health service provision for Maori.

He has worked in governance, operational, management and clinical leadership roles both in district health boards and Maori non-governmental organisations and was on the Lakes Board when it was set up in 2001.

The new appointed members replace Stuart Burns, Ana Morrison and Warren Webber.

Newly elected Board member is Ngahihi-o-te-ra Bidois, who joins re-elected members Johan Morreau, Christine Rankin, Janine Horton, Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, Rob Vigor-Brown and Lyall Thurston.

The elections were held on October 12, 2019.